If you like old trucks and the BBC, this is just your thing. If not, keep reading, because the tale is worth telling anyway.
Austin’s first new truck after the Second World War was the Loadstar, and was usually offered as a dropside or flatbed and rated for one ton. It was powered by a 4L, 125 bhp engine, and was in many ways unremarkable; Ford, Bedford and Rootes in the UK were all building something similar.
A bare chassis-cab was also available, and this one has had the good fortune to be preserved and has a BBC history. Or does it?
In 2009, it looked like this – a regular dropside as used by thousand coal merchants across the country. And then its owner, a man called Brian Morgan, then came across a photograph of the truck from 1957, in Manchester.
Photo from Historic Commercials magazine
This showed the same vehicle, registration RXX905 (UK registrations stay with the vehicle), being used by the BBC as an Auxiliary Power Vehicle, hosting a generator for an outside broadcast setup, and also acting as a camera platform. Indeed, this vehicle was used in this role for the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, in January 1965.
The decision was taken to recreate the vehicle in its prime, in the BBC configuration, with a new body replacing the dropside with a recreation of the BBC van, albeit built with a softwood rather than a hardwood frame, and fitted with a caravan interior rather than the generator.
A thorough restoration of the chassis cab and an excellent finish in the BBC dark green completed the look, along with a mock-up camera on the top.
So, although not fully original, it most certainly looks it, has a great dose of period appeal and is in good (and very skilled) hands.
So, what’s not to like? Much like the BBC itself, really.
Must’ve been warm outside, judging from the guy in the background of the first pic.
“Loadstar” has been a popular name; there was also Int’l Harvester’s, Lockheed’s Model 18 (but they spelled it “Lodestar”), & even a Commodore fan magazine.
Yeah, temperature might have been as high as 70 fahrenheit!
England, July, around lunch time I think. Superb day for weather and old trucks!
“You’re” on TV, please–does the owner/exhibitor really not know better?
Sally, Sally, Sally – There is a van in that picture on which a man has lavished immense amount of time, money, effort, and love, yet all you have managed to notice is a grammar error. Perhaps your interests lie somewhere other than in old vehicles if you can’t see these efforts for the apostrophes.
I’m sorry, Lokki–I’ve been grading too many papers this weekend, I guess. All midcentury service trucks (from both sides of the pond) are a joy to me, and I’d be thrilled to, say, find this (1952) truck in some Chicagoland barn, ready for a loving next owner (my pockets not too deep, though):
We see that misspelling far too often these days, and it’s like fingernails down a blackboard to me. Must be even worse when a teacher sees it.
My brother gets his hair cut at Tonys’ barbers,presumably by several barbers all called Tony.
I doubt that RXX905 is in this picture, but here’s a long distance shot of BBC and ITN OB units on the corner of Trafalgar Square on that day in March 1965. One of them had hired a hydraulic boom crane (in yellow).
Terrific photo Bernard, but I can’t stop the registration!
Thanks, Roger. I do have closer background shots of them, but they’re from the side so no reg. numbers I’m afraid.
First truck I ever drove our highschool farm had one for carting hay they were 5 tonners the engine found its way into various cars too notably the Austin Princess limo and Aston Martin.
Another memory from a British 60s childhood,thank you Roger.I remember these vans from the sports program on BBC on Saturday afternoon.My brother,sister and myself went to my Grandparents and watched rugby,scrambling(now called motocross) and wrestling.
That’s got to be Grandstand! One of those cameras was featured in the opening titles.
That’s it thanks Bernard
And don’t forget the Citroen DS Safari with a camera on the top following the horse racing!
I’m sure there was a model of the DS safari camera car
A mockup camera? My first thought was whether it still had its original Image Orthicon tube.
That is a great story, Roger.
Great truck , great writup .
-Nate